MIAMI -- Dan Marino resigned as senior vice president of the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday, only three weeks after accepting a job to return to the team he quarterbacked for 17 seasons.

"I have decided that it would not be in the best interests of either my family or the Dolphins to assume the role as the team's senior vice president of football operations," Marino said in a statement released by the team.

Two days earlier, team sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen that Marino was having second thoughts about his role, which had yet to be defined.

Sources told Mortensen then that Marino discussed his future with Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga, but it was not an indication that Marino would resign. Huizenga had offered to give Marino some time off after the Super Bowl to think about the change in lifestyle his role will require.

"I am disappointed in Dan's decision, especially since I think he would have made an outstanding football executive," Huizenga said. "But I understand his reasons, and I support his decision to reorder the priorities in his life."

Marino and Huizenga had often discussed the notion of the franchise favorite's return to the Dolphins, and the marquee move of an offseason front-office shakeup seemed to be Marino's hiring.

What Marino's role exactly would be -- or whether he indeed would have one -- was expected to be determined in the next week.

Marino denied Mortensen's report before taking the air for CBS' Super Bowl XXXVIII coverage. But 48 hours later, he made the move.

"When it became clear that Wayne was looking to bring in a high-level football executive, I approached him about the position," Marino said. "I knew it would involve a significant lifestyle change but after further reflection, it became clear that those adjustments were ones that my family and I are not prepared to make at this time."

Marino played for the Dolphins from 1983-99 and took them to the 1985 Super Bowl, where they lost to San Francisco. He holds league records with 61,361 yards passing and 420 touchdown passes.

A new position was created for Marino, who had planned to leave his analyst job for CBS Sports and HBO in order to come back to the Dolphins.

Huizenga said the Dolphins will begin searching for "a senior executive who has an extensive football background" to join Miami's management team and oversee football operations. It has not been determined if that person would have the same title Marino was given in his short stint as an executive.

The organizational reshuffling came after Huizenga stripped head coach Dave Wannstedt of having final say in personnel matters, a move prompted by two straight seasons without a playoff appearance by the Dolphins, the first time since 1988-89.

After a lengthy search for a general manager, during which at least seven candidates were interviewed, the team chose to promote Rick Spielman from senior vice president to GM. Spielman, though, would report to Marino, who was placed behind only Huizenga and team president Eddie Jones in the Dolphins' executive hierarchy.

Concern also was raised about Marino's ability to work with Wannstedt. Marino has had a strained relationship with Wannstedt in the past; Marino retired reluctantly in March 2000, two months after Wannstedt was hired as coach.

At the Jan. 12 news conference announcing Marino's hiring, Huizenga seemed angered by a question about the perception Marino's hiring would be little more than a cosmetic move.

"Here's a guy who's on CBS and HBO and making four jillion dollars a year to work there," Huizenga said. "He's not going to quit a job like that to come here for somebody to say it's just a figurehead job. This is serious business here."

Chris Mortensen covers the NFL for ESPN. Information from The Associated Press was included in this report.